October 2012: On the Drawing Board

Dallas mixed-use development to offer scenic living, retail options

Construction began recently on the first phase of Lake Highlands Town Center, a mixed-use development in northeast Dallas. Co-developed by Prescott Realty Group and Cypress Real Estate Advisors, the development will consist of 200 living units and 7,450 sf of retail space. The first phase of construction will result in one-, two-, and three-bedroom units ranging in size from 505 to 1,250 sf, as well as a clubhouse, fitness center, resort pool, and outdoor dining area with views of the center’s lake and 20-acre park. Also on the Building Team: BGO Architects and general contractor VCC Construction.

Work began this summer in California on Vandenberg Air Force Base’s newest addition, a 38,000-sf educational facility. KMA Architecture & Engineering led the design of the two-story education center in partnership with general contractor Teehee Straub. The building will serve more than 1,360 personnel daily with administrative spaces, an 80-seat auditorium, classrooms, distance learning rooms, training rooms, and testing rooms. The design-build team will pursue LEED Silver certification. Other Building Team members: SMR (structural engineer); CTR (civil engineer); Sparling (electrical); RPA (landscape design); Young + Co. (interiors consultant); and Veltre Engineering (fire, life, and safety engineer).

The Durst Organization and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, joint developers of One World Trade Center, have released updated renderings of the 1,776-foot-tall structure, currently under construction in Lower Manhattan. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the tower will be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere upon completion in 2014. Publishing giant Condé Nast will occupy 1.2 million sf on 25 floors; Vantone China Center and the U.S. General Services Administration will also be tenants. LEED Gold certification is being targeted, with highly filtered air and access to natural light through floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

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Chicago high school will integrate academics with soccer

Wight & Company broke ground on UNO Soccer Academy High School in Chicago in July. When completed, it will be the first public high school in Illinois that combines an academic curriculum with the sport of soccer. The three-story, 78,000-sf charter school is being constructed just a few hundred feet from the UNO Soccer Academy Elementary School and will be home to 960 high school students. A soccer field will reside on the northernmost 4.71-acre subparcel of the property. Anticipated completion: fall 2013. Others on the Building Team: Primera Engineering (MEP engineering); Terra Engineering (civil engineering); Pioneer (geotechnical and environment engineering); and Site Design (landscape architecture). +

The report, “Spending Through the Roof,” says that apartment building owners pay an average of $3,400 a year to replace heat lost through the roof. In taller buildings, the cost can be more than $20,000 a year. Illustration: Urban Green Council